Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake Recipe (+ VIDEO!)
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Sweeten your morning with this Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake! It’s a delicious breakfast treat with hints of vanilla throughout and layers of crunchy cinnamon pecan streusel. The best part? It’s easy to make and perfect for any occasion! Add a drizzle of vanilla icing after baking to make this sweet cake simply irresistible.
The Details…
If you’re like me, you’re always looking for an excuse to eat cake for breakfast, whether it’s a chunk of donut cake, a slice of chocolate espresso cake, or a bite of apple walnut raisin cake…there’s nothing quite like cake for breakfast.
Which is what brings us to today. We originally shared this recipe way back in 2018. And, while we’ve shared many variations of coffee cake over the years, such as our PB&J Coffee Cake, Blueberry Coffee Cake, and Lemon Coffee Cake, this recipe is the one we keep coming back to time and time again.
My mom has spent the last 40 years perfecting this cake. Between you and me, the hardest part was getting the batter thick enough to keep the streusel from sinking to the bottom. Oh, and getting the streusel right was another big one. Traditional streusel made with butter, melted into the cake during baking. My mom finally realized she needed a dry streusel, so she took out the butter and added pecans! It all came together after that.
Wait…Where’s The Coffee?
The term, “coffee cake” simply means a cake that is served at breakfast alongside a cup of coffee. So, while there is no coffee in most coffee cake recipes, they are typically any flavor (most commonly vanilla or cinnamon), filled with a streusel or a jam, then topped with streusel.
Why You Will Love This Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake
This recipe is the inspiration behind our beloved Coffee Cake Muffins and Coffee Cake Cookies! It’s also the base for so many of our other coffee cakes, such as our Apple Pie Coffee Cake, Pumpkin Coffee Cake, and our Peach Cobbler Coffee Cake.
And, similar to our Cinnamon Swirl Bread, you’re only going to need one recipe for the filling and the topping!
- Flavor. There is nothing better than the combination of vanilla infused cake, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans. Every bite just melts in your mouth and leaves you wanting more!
- Texture. The cake itself is tender, fluffy, and incredibly moist. The streusel adds crunch and an incredible depth of flavor. Together, it makes this cake simply irresistible.
- Nostalgia. Coffee cake, and this one in particular, is like a stroll down memory lane. It’s comforting and homey. It’s wonderful served warm, maybe with a drizzle of vanilla icing or a big mug of cafe mocha.
Watch: How To Make This Delicious Cinnamon Coffee Cake!
Grab These Ingredients
For The Streusel:
- Brown Sugar – In addition to sweetening, brown sugar also adds a richer deeper flavor than granulated sugar.
- Pecans Halves – Our nut of choice, pecans add texture.
- Ground Cinnamon – The cinnamon works so well with the brown sugar and pecans. It really enhances the flavor and brings extra goodness to this coffee cake.
- All-Purpose Flour – You need something to hold the streusel together and keep it from dissolving completely into the cake. That’s where all purpose flour comes in.
- Salt – Just a bit of salt enhances the flavor and tones down the sweetness, creating a nice balance.
For The Cake:
- All-Purpose Flour – We wanted a moist, tender cake but one with enough structure to hold its shape without going to pieces. That’s where the all purpose flour comes in. It has the perfect amount of protein to create that structure.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda – The leavenings used in this cake, baking powder and baking soda each make their own contributions to the texture and structure. Baking soda reacts with the acidity in the buttermilk and the brown sugar to give the batter a head start on rise while the baking powder kicks in once the cake is in the oven.
- Salt – Just a bit of salt enhances the flavor.
- Unsalted Butter – With a bright, fresh flavor, unsalted butter adds richness, tenderness, and moisture while allowing us to control the level of salt.
- Granulated Sugar – Using granulated sugar allows us to sweeten while controlling richness from the brown sugar.
- Brown Sugar – We wanted the deep, caramelly flavor that brown sugar adds so that we could achieve the richness and depth of flavor that we were looking for in this coffee cake.
- Eggs – The binder for the batter, eggs also contribute structure, stability, moisture, and richness.
- Vanilla Extract – Adding a subtle undertone, vanilla enhances the flavor.
- Buttermilk – My secret weapon in baking, buttermilk adds tenderness and moisture, as well as a slight tang that really enhances this cake.
Here’s How To Make A Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake Step-by-Step
Step 1: Make the streusel
In a medium bowl, stir together the brown sugar, pecans, flour, cinnamon, and salt for the streusel. Set aside.
Step 2: Prepare the batter
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Beat in eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.
Reduce the speed of the mixer to low and add the flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Step 3: Layer & bake
Spoon about 2/3 of the batter into a greased tube pan. Top with 2/3 of the cinnamon streusel.
Spread the rest of the cake batter on top of the streusel. Sprinkle top with remaining streusel.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or until the cake tests done. Let cool completely before turning out of the pan.
A Few Tips For Success:
- Use room temperature ingredients. Having the correct ingredient temperatures is a necessity for this cake. The butter, eggs, and buttermilk all need to be room temperature. If one of them is too cold, it will cause the batter to curdle.
- Dollop the batter on top of the streusel. This batter is thick, and it can be difficult to evenly spread the remaining batter across the streusel. We found that, if the batter is dolloped across the streusel, it can make spreading much easier. But don’t worry too much about it being perfect.
- The pan you use matters. This cake bakes best in a light-colored metal pan. Due to the amount of batter, we found that using a tube pan not only bakes it faster, but more evenly than other pans!
FAQ’s
For this recipe, you will need a very thick cake batter. This is what keeps the filling in place!
Since buttermilk is an essential ingredient in this recipe, it can’t really be replaced. But you can actually make your own very easily! Measure out 1 ½ cups of whole milk, remove 1 ½ Tablespoons of the milk, and add 1 ½ Tablespoons of lemon juice. Let stand about for about 10 minutes before using.
We chose to use this tube pan to make it a little more unique, as well as finding it baked faster and more evenly than other pans. But, if you’d rather, you can bake this cake in a large bundt pan. The bake time may need to be adjusted. Also, remember to place streusel in the pan first before adding the first addition of cake batter to ensure you have streusel on top when you turn the cake out!
Of course! We found that, if pecans aren’t your favorite, walnuts or almonds are the next best thing, as they taste the better than peanuts, cashews, or hazelnuts.
If your cake is stuck, this is most likely due to improper greasing. Run a thin bladed knife around the edges and center to help release the cake.
Dryness can be a common issue with baking cakes. It’s either a result of over-mixing or over-baking! Though, keep in mind that under-mixing and under-baking can be equally as bad. So, be sure to follow the directions in the recipe card below (and make sure your oven is at the right temperature!) for the best results in this cake!
Need more coffee cakes in your life? Try some of these recipes!
When you make this Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.
Happy Baking!
x, Caylie
Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Streusel
- 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1½ Tablespoon all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Cake
- 3 cups all purpose flour*
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 4 large eggs , room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups buttermilk, room temperature
Instructions
Streusel
- In a medium bowl, stir brown sugar, pecans, flour, cinnamon, and salt together. Set aside.
Cake
- Heat oven to 350℉.
- Spray a 10 inch tube pan with baking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Stir in vanilla.
- Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Assembly
- Spoon ⅔ of the cake batter into prepared pan.
- Top with ⅔ of the streusel mix.
- Dollop remaining batter on top of streusel.
- Spread evenly over top.
- Sprinkle remaining streusel mixture evenly over top of batter.
- Bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until cake tests done.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before turning out.
Watch How To Make This Recipe Below!
Notes + Tips!
- Don’t over mix the cake batter!
- Be sure to check the expiration date on your baking powder and baking soda.
- This cake mixes better when all the ingredients are room temperature.
- Let the cake cool completely before turning out of the pan!
- You can use a large bundt pan if you don’t have a tube pan.
- You can use salted butter and forgo adding the salt.
- When turning the cake out, some of the streusel will fall off the top.
- If you would like, you can make a vanilla glaze to go on top!
Tools You May Need (affiliate links)
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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I love Starbucks’s coffee cake but this one TAKES THE CAKE! I’ll never buy another slice of coffee cake again. It’s so soft and moist and flavorful. It tastes even better with a cup of coffee!
I’m curious why the streusel does not contain butter.
Hi Jeanette! We found that, when we put butter in the streusel, it would sink straight through the cake. Hope this helps! Let us know if you have any more questions 😊 x, Caylie
This is the best cinnamon streusel coffee cake ever and I have made more than several!!!! Made it several times — absolutely delicious!
I like to bake with buttermilk — this is a keeper!! Thank you
Can I use oat milk instead of buttermilk. My grandson has a dairy allergy
Hi Kathy! I haven’t used oat milk in this personally, but it should work. I frequently swap between buttermilk, sour cream, and whole milk depending on the flavor and texture I’m looking for. So, be aware that the flavor and texture will be a little different. If he doesn’t have a nut allergy, almond milk could be a good substitute as well. Please let us know if you have any other questions. And let me know how it turns out.
For some reason the cake came up over the streusel topping. Wasn’t sure what I may have done wrong. Other than that the cake tasted great.
Hi! Try checking your oven for accuracy. If the thermostat is off, you could be baking at the wrong temperature. I hope that helps!
Hey there.. I don’t see coffee in the list of ingredients for this Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake.. 😄
Hi Carol! This Coffee Cake is flavored with cinnamon rather than actual coffee, but I promise that it tastes 10x more delicious! I hope this helps! Xo, Caylie 🙂